Michael J. Bacha, 71, was found dead outside a residence near Redstone Mountain Court off Spring Gap Road in Hampshire County, West Virginia, on May 13, 2026. Hampshire County 911 was notified about 1:58 p.m.; investigators said Bacha had been dead for several hours when a neighbor checked on him at the request of Bacha’s wife. Deputies and state troopers determined he suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

Attention quickly focused on the homeowner and neighbor, Robert Allen Shartzer, 83. Investigators say Shartzer left the property on a four-wheeler into nearby woods while still carrying a handgun, prompting a multi-agency search that included K-9 teams, drone units and an aerial crew. Shartzer was located the same evening and taken into custody without incident; deputies found a loaded .40-caliber Glock in a storage compartment, and Shartzer reportedly told investigators he used that handgun and shot Bacha three times. Officials said Bacha was unarmed and there was no evidence of a physical fight before the shots, and that the dispute stemmed from recent verbal disagreements between the neighbors.

Shartzer was arrested and charged in connection with the killing; reporting through August 15, 2026, described a murder charge and an arrest. Does anyone have information about the relationship between the two men or what led to the dispute?